Sometimes they’re included just to add some comedy, but that doesn’t mean they’re not treated with the respect they deserve. They’re usually funny and quirky, with a strange personality and a very peculiar style. More often than not, when a gay character is included in a regular manga or anime, they’re depicted as the comic relief of the series. Like we don’t know what’s going on between them, right? Although it’s been shown that they share a special bond, the couple is still seen as mere friends. On several occasions, Touya saved Yukito from different and difficult situations, always willing to sacrifice himself for him. Touya is very fond of Yukito and he’s not afraid to show it: he’s always making sure that nothing bad happens to his “friend”. They’ve known each other since they were young and they do almost everything together. We can find another great example in Cardcaptor Sakura: Touya and Yukito. If finding openly homosexual characters is difficult, imagine finding a lesbian couple! It’s wonderful that these two can be open about their relationship without being judged by other people. It wasn’t until it became so obvious that it was confirmed they were in a relationship, but before that, people thought they were just really close friends. These two girls were always together and their interactions were rather flirty. Let’s take Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune from Sailor Moon as a prime example. Except for the more observant viewers, of course.
It is a simple yet effective tactic, and no one suspects anything.
So what do they do? They make them look like friends. It takes a lot of confidence for a mangaka to include a gay couple in one of their stories because most of the times, they are risking a negative reaction from the readers. Most of the time, we think nothing of that because it’s not that strange, but in reality, they’re more than just friends.
We’ve all seen it: friends so close that it feels like there’s actually something going on between them.